Silence of Twilight
by Amaryne
Summary: In the medieval times, Namine and her sister Kairi's mother is desperate to marry them off, especially after Kairi gets engaged to Prince Sora. Her patience is wearing thin, but all Namine can think about is the blond boy who never smiles. UPDATE! 13/1/09
1. Chapter 1

"Wake _up, _Namine!" My beloved sister said, pulling my warm blanket off me. "Father starts in court within minutes, and you wouldn't want to miss the chance of seeing Prince Sora, would you?"

"I would," I grumbled, my hands grabbing thin air as they tried to retrieve the blanket.

"Just get up." Kairi said, throwing my now cold blanket onto me. Groaning, I forced myself to stand and dress myself. I brushed my air in a manner that was anything but thoroughly, which earned a look of disapproval from Kairi. But she was grateful that I at least had to energy to get up.

I went to snatch a warm jacket, but Kairi hastily pushed me towards the carriage even though we could walk there in minutes. "I don't care about reputation or whatnot," Kairi said, as she noticed my frown. "But look at all that mud! It'd soak our dresses to our knees."

"Suppose," I said, observing the ground. True, it was dirty and disgusting, quite like the pig sties. "Why are you so eager, anyway? It's not news that father works in the court."

"But it's news that Prince Sora is going to attend," Kairi said, stroking her hair and flattening it. "Do I look good?"

"Your hair is always straight, Kairi," I yawned. "Relax. No one's going to judge you - you look like - like a Queen to be." That calmed her down for the rest of the trip. It was obvious that she, like many other women, had been in love with Sora ever since he was able to speak. However, one thing unlike the rest, is that she was in love with him _before _he reached the age to marry.

Prince Sora - a kind hearted boy who always saw the good in others. He treated everybody as equals, but from my perspective, he seemed a bit thick. Or maybe he's just too naive. Or maybe ignorant. I'm guessing the former (everyone knew the infamous scandal from when Prince Sora asked the question "What's a _period_?" In the end, no one chose to tell him, because he's better off not knowing).

But there was also the Prince who always seemed to live in the shadows. While everyone was asking Prince Sora to be their King, Prince Roxas, his younger twin, was overlooked. It's common that many forget about him, but one Princess may try to date him to get to Prince Sora. Not that Prince Roxas wasn't attractive, it was just that it's often that the older brother gets the throne rather than the younger, and it seemed unlikely that Prince Roxas was about to kill his older brother any time soon. He was graver and quieter - but undoubtly loyal to his people.

"We're here," Kairi said in a sing song voice. She brushed off some dust on her dress and walked in a graceful pace towards the courthouse. She was restraining from giggling, I knew. We entered the courthouse and sat in the guest's seats as we watched Prince Sora give out a speech. Spiky brown hair and bright blue eyes - he looked fairly innocent, though what he was speaking about seemed quite serious.

Once the prince had finished whatever he was saying, I decided to push off. I didn't bother telling Kairi, since she was so mesmerized by the sound of Prince Sora's voice. I took my sketchbook from which I had snuck in the carriage without Kairi knowing and began to draw. Since the scenery so finely presented to me now was drab, dull, and two thirds wet, one third brown, I began imagining snow. White, bright snow. Falling down gracefully from the sky, snowflakes beautiful and delicate. One would fall on my tongue, and I would taste the sweet softness of the snow.

Only it never snows here. It's always twilight. That's why it's called Twilight Town. Well I'm _sick _of twilight. I've had enough of the sun staying in the middle of the sky, never rising, never falling. I'm sick sick sick SICK to death of the orange sky. I want bright blue skies. Or dark navy ones.

I looked down at my paper. I had drawn a twilight view, then subconsciously scribbled crosses all over it. At an impulse, I threw my sketch book at a random spot, angry, until I had heard an 'ow' coming from my left.

A boy about my age had my sketchbook planted upon his head. He caught it before it fell to the mud. "Are you alright?" I hurriedly took the sketch book from him.

"I - I apologise," I stuttered. "I was careless."

He half-smiled."Well, what do you draw?"

"I don't draw," I said stupidly.

He lifted an eyebrow. "Then what's this for?"

"Uh - uh..." I bit my lower lip. "Paper...to...clean up...the mud..." _You've been caught, my dear friend. _

"The mud." The boy said.

"Y-yeah," I said. "Haven't you done it before?" I laughed uncomfortably. He made me uncomfortable. He was the first and single boy to ever speak to me willingly; but from his bored expression, I think he's just trying to kill time. Or does he just look like that all the time?

Awkward silence.

"I don't like mud much," I said, rubbing the back of my head nervously.

"What's not to love about it?" I laughed at this, but I might've laughed harder if this boy even smiled. "So...?" He gestured at my sketchbook.

"Mostly scenery and people," I mumbled. "I used to love working with twilight, but now it's getting dull..."

"Why don't you draw snow, then?" The boy asked, approaching me with curiousity.

"Because I have to _draw what I see_. You know - 'Draw what you see' and 'Write what you know'. Besides, I don't know what shades I have to use for it." I blew my hair in frustration. "Is your 'parental figure' in the courtroom or something?"

"Not really, he's at home," He replied. "That is, if you call it a home."

"Oh, I see," I frowned. "Then what are you doing here?"

"My brother's in the courtroom, actually." He said, lowering his voice, as if not liking what was about to happen next.

"Brother?" I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "How old is he?"

"Sa -"

_"NAH - MIN - AYYYYYYYY_!!" An all too familiar yell cried out from behind me in the midst of a crowd. Kairi ran to me, looking as if she were about to die of happiness. "Where'd you run off to?" Before I could think of an excuse, she spread her arms out with glee. "Oh, who cares! Prince Sora talked to me, you know!" She giggled excitingly. Normally Kairi would have more dignity, but I suppose you do crazy things when you're in love. "And he's taking me out on a cart this Saturday! Oh no!" Excitement turned to horror and Kairi planted her hands on her face. "I forgot to tell him where we live!" She stomped on the ground in frustration and ran off to find her Prince Charming.

"Stupid klutz."

"Are you calling my sister a klutz?" I growled, fury rushing in my body.

"No. Sora."

I froze. I then glanced at different places, hoping that no guards or anyone of authority could've heard. "You realise he's a prince?" I hissed.

"I'm very well aware, thank you," He replied, looking a little offended. He took one look at the sky and sighed. "Look - I have to go, if it doesn't work out between your sister and Sora, just tell her that his castle here is in on Sunset Hill, and she can meet him there." He ran towards Kairi's direction, and I frowned again.

He must've been a servant or something.

I headed towards my own carriage, struggling to hold my sketchbook and lift up my dress as to not stain it further. I went inside, instructed the driver not to leave just yet. Soon enough, Kairi had entered, the sleeves of her dress and hem brown and disgusting, stained so much that the driver almost mistook her for one of the homeless people who roamed buildings every now and then.

"Kai...ri..." I stared at her.

"Couldn't find him," She said softly. "There it goes. My one chance. And I blew it."

"No, you didn't," I stroked her arm gently. "You know that boy from before? Well, he said that the Prince is staying at the castle on Sunset Hill."

Kairi's eyes lit up with a new light, and the smile I thought was banished from her face forever reappeared brighter and broader than ever. "Oh my god, Namine," Tears of happiness brimmed her eyes. "You...you're the best!" She hugged me tight and lovingly, and I couldn't help smile a bit myself. "I have to thank him! What was the boy's name?"

"It was -" I racked my brains for his name, then realised that I never once asked for it. "I - I don't know, actually. Maybe he's a butler, or something."

"Or," Kairi said, suggesting something I really hated her for. "It could be Prince _Roxas_."

"He would've been in the court." I said, crossing my arms.

"They say he was absent."

"Exactly, so that means he can't have been there!" I huffed. Kairi rolled her eyes, murmuring something about how 'I didn't get it' and dropped the subject.

I gestured for the driver to drive away and made no move to further go down that topic.

**I'd really appreciate as many reviews as possible and some constructive crit. :) Thank you.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all your lovely reviews! I'm sorry for not updating earlier :/ I just...forgot about this for a while? XD Oh well. Again, thank you for the encouragement. I will attempt to do my best and update more consistently. **

Sometimes I wonder if it's a family thing.

We tend to over think, you see. And Kairi has been doing quite a lot of over thinking. At first she was squealing and dancing and bouncing and all, typical Kairi reaction to something like Prince Sora speaking to her, then everything reminded her of Prince Sora. At dinner; what was his favourite food? When reading; did he read a lot too, or just lots of Princely duties? But then Kairi started to act strange. No more giggly, now she's just...

Sad.

The worst thing is about Kairi being sad is that she'll never tell you, because she's too kind a person to "inflict her worries" upon other people. So gets frustrating when I see her drooping about but denying it.

So at last I sat down next to her and tried to pry it out of her.

"Hey Kairi, are you okay?"

Kairi snapped out of her daze to face me, smile on her face. "Of course, Naminé!" She said brightly. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yes, I am, thank you." I drummed my fingers on my sketchbook before asking, "Are you...nervous about meeting Prince Sora?"

She shook her head, her front teeth gnawing on her lower lip showing that she really was nervous. I placed a hand on her shoulder sympathetically but her gaze merely strayed to the floor.

"Kairi..."

"I'm just like any other girl," She murmured. "I know it's not like me to be insecure but...he's...grand. He's bubbly and he's so handsome and he's just so perfect. Why would he like a girl like me? When I think of how I behave in front of him...and how I behave outside of him..." She tucked a hair behind her ear, sighing. "It's just fangirly instincts, if you get what I mean. Maybe..."

"If you feel you don't like how you act in front of him, act differently," I said. "Act like you're talking to me or something."

She smiled, finally looking up at me. "I'll try that."

I smiled back, patting her hair. "I hope things work out between you."

She blushed, immediately trying to cover it up with her dainty hands. I laughed, pushing them down. I stood up, taking Kairi in wholly. She was so beautiful with her red hair which wasn't a disgusting ginger like a few other redheads. It was a dark red with slightly pinkish tints – and her eyes were so deep. Blue with a splash of purple, illuminating when happy and darkening when sad. Her beauty radiated and I began to wonder, how can someone so beautiful be so sad? Even though I'm sure Kairi felt somewhat better, there's no way my rehearsed lines could have assured her completely.

"Well, I'm going to go and dr -"

"Naminé!" She called. I spun around, wondering what she could've wanted. "Wake up early tomorrow. We're picking out our dresses."

"I'm coming with you?" I said, blinking in bewilderment.

She nodded eagerly, grinning slyly. "That's right!"

"And I don't get a say in the matter?"

Kairi shook her head, trying to act serious but spluttering out with laughter terribly. She clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle them but it didn't work. I ended up laughing a little too, but eventually I went up to my bed, whining in my head about whether Kairi would pick one of those beautiful dresses that eliminate your ability to breathe. As I plopped down on my bed, I fingered the curtains that hung loosely from the four posts of my bed. It was a habit I picked up when I was a child. They felt so fragile. I dropped my hand and repositioned myself so that I was facing the other wall.

That blond boy...I had seen plenty of men, none of them really talked to me though. Why would a boy like this be imprinted in my mind? To be truthful I've been thinking about him ever since, but not in that way. That's just...well, quite frankly...oh, I don't want to say it. Even in my head. That proves how much a prude I really am. But he looked so cold and _sour_. It amazed me on how attractive people can still be so...awfully depressing. Which makes it worse for me, because I am not attractive but my social skills are so horrible it's depressing. I closed my eyes, exhaling.

Ah, the sweet essence of disgusting self-pity.

"Naminé, are you even listening?"

I nodded. Kairi looked doubtful, but continued. "I feel like I should wear something more elegant...but I really love this dress," She said, pouting. She shoved the dress towards me and I caught it, my hands fumbling over.

I put it at arms length, scanning it. It was a sort of reddish pink mainly, but at the front it was white with the same reddish pink strings crossing each other as they held on to the reddish pink part of the dress. It had a square neckline and there were pieces of white fabric attached to the reddish pink sleeves. I frowned a little.

"It looks really nice," I said slowly. "But your hair is the same colour. Even though it would match, do you think it might be too much?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Why don't you look for other dresses?" I suggested. "You haven't seen all of them, you know. There might be a better dress you like."

"Okay," She said. "But you should start looking for your dress, too. Make sure it's white. You always look so radiant in white."

Before I could protest she scurried away to hunt for more dresses. I pondered on how expensive all this was, not really interested in looking for dresses until one in particular caught my eye.

It was white, like Kairi had recommended, and at the waist-line there was a delicate blue ribbon wrapped around it with a bow at the side. The skirt of the dress had many layers that were thin but there was one ultimate, classic white skirt under all of them. Lace decorated the neckline and edges of the sleeves as well as the blue ribbon. The sleeve lasted to the elbow where a blue ribbon was hanging from – and all I wanted to do was take the dress and put it on instantly. But instead I stared at it in awe, hands itching to grab it. I flattened her own dress and daintily took the dress.

"That looks...beautiful," Kairi whispered, as she came back with a dress I had yet to observe. She spoke as if afraid that the dress would fall apart if she spoke any louder.

I beamed. "I know. Should I buy it?"

Kairi boggled at her. "Should that question even be a question? Why inquire?" She grinned coyly. "You wouldn't want to restrain yourself from impressing Prince Roxas, wouldn't you?"

I narrowed my eyes into slits dangerously. "He can't be Prince Roxas. We've already had this discussion, Kairi."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some sort of child who doesn't know any better!" Kairi said. She probably would've put her hands on her hips weren't it not for the elegant dress in her arms. "It's just that – boys and men are sort of new for you. This would be a first time that you've actually conversed with one of them for longer than 2 seconds. You're always too shy."

"I had to talk to him," I said, fumbling with the edges of the dress' sleeves. "I accidentally threw my sketchbook at him. It would have been a crime not to try and speak with him. Besides, he's so cold I doubt that we'd ever become friends. In fact," I looked Kairi hard in the eye. "His whole demeanor just _said _'I am anti-social'!" I sighed in frustration, huffing. "Heavy social interaction seems to be naught."

Kairi laughed a little. "Prince Roxas is anti-social."

"Rumours," I snorted.

Before Kairi could say anymore I quickly made my way to buy my dress, not even caring about the cost.

Kairi could pick her own damn dress.

As we headed back we said nothing. She said that I was being too sensitive and touchy, I told her to not talk to me. So Kairi did that.

Finally when we had entered our house and we had finished greeting the servants, Kairi took my arm, saying, "Why are you so mad, Nami?"

I sighed and whipped around. "I just don't like rumours. I hear them enough from mother, and there were – and are – plenty about our family. Especially me."

I knew well enough what everyone thought of me. Sure, I somewhat resembled Kairi, but my skin is paler and my hair is bleached. Her skin is healthy and tan and her hair is such a beautiful colour. I wasn't accomplished; I only drew while Kairi sung and danced. It was obvious who was in the shadow. So of course there would be speculation that I was an illegitimate child; that I wasn't my father's daughter.

She patted my arm. "It's okay, Nami, it was just a joke."

I smiled half-heartedly. "I know."

I wonder how many times Prince Rox – wait, how do I know if he's Prince Roxas or not? I haven't seen him in the flesh. But I wonder how many times that boy smiles like that. With half a heart. I rubbed my eyes and held my dress tighter. "I'm going to go to my room," I said. "Our carriage arrives at seven, correct?"

Kairi nodded in confirmation.

"Okay then," I waved at her as I rushed up the stairs, unsure of why I was in such a hurry to get to my room.

I locked my door on the way in so that no one would disturb me. Instead of hanging it up in my wardrobe I just threw my valuable, expensive dress carelessly on the bed. I changed into my nightgown and dug deep into my wooden chest, the lid resting on the top of my head as my hands dipped in, searching for my special sketchbook. This one didn't just have things that piqued my interest casually, it had all my dreams, my hopes, my inspiration...everything would be drawn with all my heart, honest and true. But that is precisely why no one else is allowed to look at it.

To put it bluntly, it's downright embarrassing.

I don't have dreams about future husbands or anything. I don't have a major longing for one man like Kairi does. When I dream about my future, I am on a rickety chair with a sketchbook in my hands. I am old and alone with a tombstone in my garden. It's not a dream I have often, but it's very unpleasant because it looks plausible. It's a heavy possibility and I don't know why. How am I supposed to change my life to make that sort of a thing...not a possibility? I shake my head at the thought of me dying an old maiden. Deciding not to think of the future, I headed out to the balcony, for some reason expecting some eligible bachelor in love with me to command that we elope. It's a silly girlish dream, but that's what comes with a balcony.

I sit down on a chair and gaze into the sky. Twilight, as always. I open up a page and decide not to draw what I see. Rather, to draw what I remember. I remember...Kairi. Kairi...holding a dress. Kairi...being concerned.

So much for inspiration. I can't even think of a single original idea.

_Why don't you draw snow, then?_

I blinked, rubbing my temples, and ignored it, continuing on with thinking of an idea.

I decided to draw a doll I got for Christmas once. It was porcelain with grey eyes and curly locks of hair hanging from her head, brown and soft. She had no emotion. I closed my eyes to picture her in great detail before bringing her down to paper, but something distracted me.

_Not really, he's at home._

Come on. A lacy dress, poofy skirt and purple bonnet -

_That is, if you call it a home._

I groaned, dropping the pencil. He was haunting me. Because I found him fascinating. His face didn't light up like most boy's did when they saw Kairi and he was the only one who had questioned about my sketchbook. It made me feel sort of special in some odd way. But the fascination also came from his stoic demeanor, and if I were to find out more about him, he wouldn't be so fascinating anymore. I left my sketchbook on the table on the balcony, too tired to put it away. I lay beneath the sheets of my bed and fingered the curtains again. And eventually, I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Without the peacefulness.


End file.
